Shoe



Qct. 12,1926.

A. E. BLOCK SHOE Filed April 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 m/vf/vrw A 4 EXAM/0D? 5A 00%,

Oct. 12 1926.

A. E. BLOCK SHOE Filed April 20, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet Patented a. 12, 1926.. I

UNITED, STATES annmnnanrmcx, ore-amine, IISSOUBI.

i 1 anon.

Application am April :0, 192:. mm m V this distortion of the flesh from its proper i My invention relates to improvements in shoes, and has for its object to provide a heel-and-shank reinforce of novel construction, partially rigid and partially flexible functioning to sustain the'weight of the wearer and to sustain and distribute said weight equally upon the heel'and sole-of the shoe. By -means of the construction illus trated and described it is sought to keep the counter in proper alinement with the heel, and both counter and heel in pro er alinement with the sole, and to so hol the foot of the wearer as to preverit it from disturbing. the normal balance of the shoe and. causing a run-over condition of theshoe,

- with resultant foot trouble.

An object of my invention-is to produce a. shoe having a flat heel-receiving portion, the principle of my invention in this regard being diametrically opposed to the universal practice of cupping (making more or less concave) the shoe beneath the wearers heel as described in my former Letters Patent, No. 1,243,692, of October 23, 1917. That cupping, found in practice to be injurious to the wearers foot, and to be the cause of various injuries, distortions, and displacements of the wearers heel from normal position.

In the-normal human foot the heel bone at its base is semiglobular, and rests in a bed of flesh of considerable thickness, being held in place by the various muscles and ligaments. The bottom of the fleshy part of the heel, when not under pressure from the weight of the body, is also rounded to a greater or less degree, but flattens more or less completely when sustaining the weight of thc'body.

When the heel of the foot rests in the concave portion ofthe interior of a shoe of such construction under the weight of the body, the flesh is pressed upwardly from a point near the center of the heel to its outer border, and is forced and held in a position higher than that which is normal, forcing anl holding the. flesh upward in an abnormal position in relation to the heel bone. The

continued holding of the flesh and bone in regardless of its degree, I have supporting position of the heel bone that is Drawing 7a.

1,602,793 PATsu'rjorrice."{a

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal mid-sectional view of a shoe embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the upper face of the outer sole with the re-inforcing element in. lace thereon.

ig. 3 is a transverse sectional view ofsaid reinforcing element, taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical"- median longitudinal section of the heel portion of ashoe embodying my invention.

Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical sectional view of the same.

Description.

The reinforcing element or plate A comprises an inflexible body section 5 contoured to conform .to the sha of the heel under weight on a flat su ace and having an outer edge thickened by a de nding marginal flange 6, or like reinforc' means, said body section 5 terminating in "a forwardly projecting resilient or flexible tongue 7, contouredas shown in Fig. 2.

A depressed median corrugation 8 extends from a point beneath the heel of the wearer to a point slightly to the rear of the tongue 7. In Fig. 2 the plane of the front wall of the heel B is indicated by the .dotted line wardly and clinched intothe outsole 11; I

while at or near the base of the tongue 7 a perforation 12 receives the rivet 13 by which the plate A is secured to said outsole 11 at a point beneath the longitudinal arch of the foot of the wearer.

The contour of the rear edge of the plate or reinforce A, as shown in Fig. 2, is such that itfits within the line of nails or pegs which unite the heel B and the shoe. The nail shown at 14 in Fig. 1, passes outside and beyond the plate A.

In a shoe of my improved construction a flat bearing surface for the wearers heel is provided, as well as a balanced support for the inner and outer longitudinal arches of llt the foot adjacent to the heel; the support being of suflicient width-and strength to carry the weight of a distorted or broken arch.

To illustrate how this fiat bearing surface is provided, the details-of construction are given in Figs. 4 and 5, wherein the body section 5 of the plate A is shown as lying centrally in a flat heel-supporting area, the portion of that area surrounding said body section 5 being suitably built up, as-for exampleby the in-drawn lower edges of the upper materials of the shoe, those upper materials consisting of the heel-lining 17, the counter 18, and the outer leather 19.

The heel supporting reinforce A, as shown, is located between and in contact with the inner sole 16 and the outer sole 11 and within the inner edge portions of the upper materials which are located between the outer and inner soles. By means of this construction the heel portion of the inner sole has a substantially flat heel receiving surface because of the underlying fiat surfaced reinforce and the portions of the up per materials which'are between the outer and inner soles and outside of the reinforce. Obviously that flat receiving surface for the heel of the wearer may be built up u on and around the heel portion of said rein orce by various means and of various materials without departing from my invention as defined by the appended claims.

The described and illustrated shoe and heel-*and-shank reinforce may each be varied in form and construction without departure from my actual invention as defined in the appended claims.

As an example of a variation, it is a practice in the manufacture of some styles of shoes to omit the outer solo at the heel receiving portion of the shoe. In such a case the top part or heel seat 15 of the heel serves the function of the outer sole.

This invention roduces a shoe with a rest for the heel and t e arch of the foot that is as close to nature as can be had with relation to its particular height of heel. To accomplish this the invention not only insures a fiat heel receiving surface at that part of the heel seat which rests above the heel of the shoe but extends that flat surface over the breast into the shank and on a plane with the el seat portion and from there a a 1 curve extends downward toward the Claims.

1. The im rovement in shoes comprising a heel-and-siiank reinforce having a heel portion comprising a flat bearing surface and a depending marginal edge, and a projection at its front portion extending into the shank.

2. The improvement in shoes comprising a heel-and-shank reinforce havin a depending marginal flange and a mefian longitudinal projection and being interiorly spaced from the edge of the heel seat and within the attaching nails.

3. The improvement in shoes com rising a heel-and-shank reinforce having a e ending marginal flange and a median long1tudinal projection and being interiorly spaced from the edge of the heel seat and within the heel attaching nails, said reinforce having a relatively flexible forwardly projecting tongue.

4. A shoe having a substantially flat faced heel supporting reinforce located between the outer and inner soles and filling the space between the edges of the upper materials which extend between the two soles, thereby insuring a substantially fiat surface to receive the heel of the wearer.

5. A shoe having a substantially flat faced reinforce between and in contact with its inner and outer soles and filling the space between the edges of the upper materials which extend between the two soles, said reinforce having a part extending into the shank of the shoe, whereby a substantially fiat surface is insured to receive the heel and arch of the wearer.

6. A shoe having a substantially fiat faced reinforce between and in contact with its inner and outer soles and interiorly spaced from the edge of the heel seat and within the heel attaching nails, said reinforce insuring a substantially flat surface to receive the heel of the wearer.

7. A shoe having a permanent substantially flat faced reinforce with a thickened portion resting substantially at or in the middle of the heel and filling the space between the upper materials, said reinforce insuring a substantially fiat surface to receive the heel of the wearer.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

ALEXANDER E. BLOCK. 

